axial

[ak-see-uh l]

See more synonyms for axial on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of, pertaining to, characterized by, or forming an axis: an axial relationship.
situated in or on an axis.

Origin of axial

First recorded in 1840–50; axi- + -al¹

Related formsax·i·al·i·ty, nounax·i·al·ly, adverbin·ter·ax·i·al, adjectivemul·ti·ax·i·al, adjectivemul·ti·ax·i·al·ly, adverbsub·ax·i·al, adjectivesub·ax·i·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for axial

paramount, key, important, pivotal, fundamental, basic, significant, essential, prime, salient, dominant, center, radical, median, primary, middle, chief, intermediate, master, ruling

Examples from the Web for axial

Contemporary Examples of axial

Because there is the luminous ensemble of Sigmar Polke entitled Axial Ages.
Treasures From the Pinault Collection
Bernard-Henri Lévy
June 12, 2009

Historical Examples of axial

The storm was probably caused by the axial rotation of Wandl.
Wandl the Invader
Raymond King Cummings
This axial stripe is seen equally well in fishes and reptiles.
Colouration in Animals and Plants
Alfred Tylor
The spicula are quite smooth, as in the similar Sphrozoum ovodimare (in which, however, the axial rod is much longer).
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia)
Ernst Haeckel
The spiral wings of the transverse girdle of about the same breadth as the eight internal gates between them and the axial beams.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia)
Ernst Haeckel
The spiral wings of the transverse girdle about half as broad as the eight internal gates between them and the axial beams.
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia)
Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for axial

axial

adjective

relating to, forming, or characteristic of an axis
situated in, on, or along an axis

Derived Formsaxiality, nounaxially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for axial

adj.

"pertaining to an axis," by 1825, from axis + -al (1). Related: Axially.

axial in Medicine

axial

[ăk′sē-əl]

adj.

Relating to or characterized by an axis; axile.
Relating to or situated in the head and trunk region of the body.
Relating to or parallel with the long axis of a tooth.

axial in Science

axis

[ăk′sĭs]

Plural axes (ăk′sēz′)

An imaginary line around which an object rotates. In a rotating sphere, such as the Earth and other planets, the two ends of the axis are called poles. The 23.45° tilt of the Earth's axis with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun causes the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to point toward and away from the Sun at different times of the year, creating seasonal patterns of weather and climate. Other planets in the solar system have widely varying tilts to their axes, ranging from near 0° for Mercury to 177° for Venus.
Mathematics
1. A line, ray, or line segment with respect to which a figure or object is symmetrical.
2. A reference line from which distances or angles are measured in a coordinate system, such as the x-axis and y-axis in the Cartesian coordinate system.
Anatomy The second cervical vertebra, which serves as a pivot for the head.
Botany The main stem or central part of a plant or plant part, about which other plant parts, such as branches or leaflets, are arranged.

Related formsaxial adjective